Ray Kelly 'flattered' by President Obama's comments

New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly on Tuesday called President Barack Obama’s recent compliments flattering but he wouldn’t address speculation about potentially being named Homeland Security secretary.

“Well, I’m flattered by the comments coming from the president, but I’m not making any other comment,” Kelly said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday when asked if he would want the job.

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“Mr. Kelly might be very happy where he is, but if he’s not I’d want to know about it, because obviously he’d be very well qualified for the [Homeland Security] job,” the president said.

Kelly was on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday to defend the controversial “stop-and-frisk” tactics employed by the New York Police Department, a topic some critics of Kelly have said could hold him back from getting President Barack Obama’s nomination.

Kelly said the practice, as a component of “proactive policing,” has reduced crime and saved lives, especially of men of color.

“We are engaging in our judgment in lifesaving practices, and it’s made a difference. It’s made a difference throughout New York,” Kelly said, citing statistics he also included in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Monday night.

“I think it’s been overblown,” Kelly said of the controversy over stop-and-frisk. “It’s only one piece of what we’re doing in New York, and in other cities, too. We are engaged in proactive policing, and the whole series of strategies and tactics is what, in my opinion, has brought crime down dramatically here.”